Thursday, July 25, 2013

Nature Girl

Before my first witch camp, like many urban creatures, I spent most of my time indoors. My father hated "nature" (whatever that means) hence we never, not ever, took a walk or picnicked. Instead we were taken to the bowling alley where there weren't even any windows. As kids we spent time outdoors with our friends, but I was a fearful child who preferred to stay inside, quietly reading. I was a different person back then!

I remember coming back from witch camp. Oh man, the re-entry was a bitch for so many reasons, including the fact that all of a sudden it felt very weird to stay indoors all the time. Though my habits began to change at that time, it wasn't really until Jake came into my life that I made it a practice to spend as much time as possible out of doors. It wasn't until Jake that I realized how important it is for me - a shaman! - to connect with Brother Sun, etc. That dog was one of the greatest teachers I've ever had.

When Jake died, I wondered if I would retreat to the world of inside spaces, but I didn't. Not only do I walk every day, but I also like to sit out in front of the chateau between clients. It's calming and grounding to sip the air, gaze at the clouds, and such. When I take continuing education courses or have some other reason I need to stay mostly indoors all day, I get a little stir crazy. I feel disoriented when cut off from the sky, trees, birds and weather.

It's a beautiful day in DC today. I got out for a nice walk, so I'm good, but the men are still working on the sidewalk, hence I don't have the option of sitting out there, enjoying today's cool, dry air and sweet temperatures. What a shame.

9 comments:

Wow Reya, sometimes I am really blown away by the similarities with us. I recently had a bit of a blog rant how as children we never went anywhere because my Dad hated nature too! My husband was part of a family that loved the outdoors and camping - couldn't believe my luck!

I remember when I got back from my longest river trip...10 days of being outside 24/7. it was impossible to stay inside. I had taken a tent but only used it one night when it rained. every other night I slept under the stars. talk about re-entry being a bitch.